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I know its almost the beginning of April, but I feel the need, with two failed blog’s now behind me, to establish some resolutions in order to keep myself motivated over the coming year.

My Blogger Resolutions For 2014

Complete Two Or More Book Blogging Challenges

Despite my Blog being just one post old, I was already anxious about what my next book related topic would be, but after searching Book Blogging Challenges online, I feel a bit more comfortable with the whole posting situation. I’m a regular sufferer of the dreaded writing slump, so I’m hoping that a few challenges through the year will keep me motivated!

Read At Least Three Classics By The End Of The Year

I recently posted a list of The Top 10 Books I DON’T Want To Read and about halfway through you will see three Classic titles; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (the more favoured of the three!). Although I’ll admit my enthusiasm is minimal to say the least, I really want to finally be able to knock them off my TBR List and feel a little less guilty about my reading habits! *hides classics at end of TBR pile*

Post Regularly, At Least Twice to Three Times A Week Where Possible

In the past, on previous blogs, I didn’t really schedule regular posts and more often than not didn’t bother to set aside time to concentrate seriously on the reviews I was writing or the topics I had chosen. So, 2014 is going to be a little different and alot more organised! I hope to post at least on book related topic plus a random piece of writing throughout each week until May 1st at least when the new addition to our family is expected to arrive! #excitingtimes!

Post HONEST Book Reviews Regardless Of How Popular A Title Might Be

On previous blogs, I often wrote book reviews tailored and worded so as not to offend the mass of fans and followers of certain authors. I not realise how pathetic and unreal this is. Honesty really is the best policy!

Write More Flash Fiction And Post My Stories To My Blog

I love writing (obviously!), and when I recently came across an incredible blog dedicated to flash fiction, entitled ‘300 Stories’ I suddenly gained the motivation to spend a little more time on my own creative writing. So, hopefully with the help of a few writing prompts I’ll be soon on my way to regular posts of my own creative writing!

Although I’m pretty new to the whole Book Blogging/Book Tubing community, it’s something I’ve really wanted to do for quite a while but didn’t know where to start. As a regular viewer of book tube videos, and reader of book blogs and review sites, I’ve come to the realisation that I have amassed a large number of these popular/trending/bestselling books that I THINK I want to read, but know I never will. Here’s my Top 10 Books I own but will probably never finish.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green Having read so many great reviews surrounding John Green’s Books,I finally gave in to the hype a few weeks ago and purchased a copy of The Fault In Our Stars for my Kindle Paperwhite. After reading the first half of the book, I lost interest completely in both the plot as well as the characters. Maybe I am cold hearted and unable to appreciate and sympathise with such a sensitive storyline but the writing just didn’t grip my like I was expecting. Hazel and Augustus, the main characters of the novel, are irritably wise beyond their sixteen years, while sharing dialogue I found to be totally unbelievable and outdated for a pair of teenagers. As The Fault In Our Stars continues to grace every YA Bestseller list I come across, I really WANT to love and experience the magical effect of this novel but I just can’t help but feel like I’m the only person on the planet who hasn’t fallen under John Green’s spell.

Fifty Shades Series by E.L James “The Fifty Shades Trilogy will obsess you, possess you and stay with you forever” – Promises, Promises Promises…ALWAYS made to be broken! The Fifty Shades Trilogy by British author E.L James (real name Erika Leonard) is definitely the most embarrassing buy sitting on my bookshelf right now. I really am so easily influenced by trending reads and authors, and even though erotic fiction and BDSM are totally not my thing, I went ahead, jumped on the bandwagon and bought all three books in one purchase. From what I’ve gathered through a little research, James developed the Fifty Shades series from Twilight fanfiction under the pen name, ‘Snowqueens Icedragon’. Although I’ve read the Twilight series, and don’t have much of an opinion on either the series or its fanfiction, as well as not having read James’s own interpretations of Meyer’s fictional characters/world I’m struggling to see the similarities between a glittering vampire and a deranged pervert wielding whips and chains…and I think I’d like to keep it that way. Having struggled through Books 1 and 2, I’m not ashamed to admit my failure in attempting to finish the last book in the Fifty Shades series (Fifty Shades Freed) nor my utter contempt towards the many millions of women who rant and rave about the clearly unsexy Christian Grey and his ‘Oh My Goshing’ submissive girlfriend Anastasia Steele. Although probably the series I dislike the most in the fictional world, the boxset in which I purchased all three books is quite beautiful, and almost makes the stiff characters and brainless plot worth the money. Almost.

The Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith/J.K Rowling Ok, before I start criticising The Cuckoo’s Calling, I want to make clear how big a Harry Potter fan I am, and my love for J.K Rowling will never be compromised regardless of how many adult novels she releases. Having read her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy immediately after its release in 2012, unlike many other people I spoke to, my own opinion of Ms Rowling as a writer didn’t change. The book was good; readable with relatable characters and an ok storyline; but there was very little else to catapult it to ‘Must Read’ status. I grew up with Harry Potter and read each instalment as it was published, so maybe I’m a little bias and a little jealous that my favourite author is progressing toward new characters and different genres. Since I bought The Cuckoo’s Calling, well before Christmas 2013, I haven’t even opened the cover, nor have I any desire to. The story and the character of Cormoran Strike I’m sure are well written and developed, I just can’t seem to generate the interest or put aside enough time to get this one off my TBR list.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel I’m not the biggest reader of Historical Fiction but from the books I’ve read I’ve really enjoyed the transportation through time, as well as the factual aspects of the writing. Described as a fictional biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More, Wolf Hall really caught my attention, it just hasn’t held it long enough for me to take it off my bookshelf with the serious intentions of reading it. My lack of knowledge surrounding The Tudors and their history is probably the most influencing factor in my avoidance of this book, as well as the extensive plot and characters within. I’m usually not daunted by such a indepth storyline or its characters, and with a genuine desire to read about Tudor life in the 1500’s Wolf Hall just has the feeling of History Homework that I can’t be bothered to complete.

A Discovery Of Witches/All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness I have picked up and started A Discovery Of Witches, too many times now to even consider seriously attempting to finishing it. Not because the plot or the characters were dull or boring, far from, I actually really enjoyed Diana Bishop’s character as well as her love interest, vampire and geneticist, Matthew Clairmont. Together our pair of protagonists create a very believable love story while falling deep into a unique, original and excellently written plot. To be fair and honest, I love the world and the characters created by Deborah Harkness but I just can’t seem to persist with it long enough to reach the end. A Discovery of Witches is definitely top of my TBR List at the moment, I just wish I didnt have to reread the first half of the book again for the 50th time in order to progress through the series. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb Wally Lamb is one of those author’s that require very little effort to weave a story so detailed and believable that I am almost jealous of his ability when I pick up one of his books. I started reading I Know This Much Is True about three months ago, and put it on hold when I got my hands on The Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey. Upon finishing the series, I never went back to finish I Know This Much Is True. It sits now on my bedside table with my favourite bookmark placed three quarters of the way in, and I have no idea where I left the story. As far as I can remember, the plot follows two brothers, one of which has been committed to a mental institution for cutting off his hand/arm in a public library. The characters were well executed, and the story regardless of how far fetched it sounds, is actually quite credible, and really held my interest from page one. I feel so guilty leaving this one unfinished, but I just don’t know if I will ever dedicate enough time to rereading the lengthy story and finding out what fate awaits Dominick and his brother Thomas.

Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown I read The DaVinci Code back when it was at its peak of international success, and have really enjoyed Dan Brown’s books ever since. I think the man is a talented writer, and despite his bad publicity an intelligent one too. I love his portrayal of Robert Langdon and the detail and research committed to each plot, yet for some strange reason I have absolutely no desire to pick up his latest instalment ‘Inferno’. Its hard to follow a book like the DaVinci Code, but I as I read each novel, practically back to back, I never once found my interest waning which is generally my tendency when I’m faced with a series, or reusable main character.So why have I not read Inferno at least twice by now? I’m puzzled and will probably stay that way for quite a while too, until Dan Brown’s announcement of a fifth Robert Langdon book to entice me to get my proverbial skates on and get reading.

The Temperance Brennan/Bones Series by Kathy Reichs I absolutely LOVE Mystery/Crime/Thrillers and for so long now I have avoided starting Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series despite having the full collection on display across an entire shelf of my bookcase. The Inspiration behind the TV Crime Drama Series ‘Bones’ starring David Boreanaz (which I’ve also boycotted until I’ve finished the books), Kathy Reichs is synonymous with the genre and I am so embarrassed to publicly admit to not having read one page of her writing. I love the idea of getting lost in the case with such a well loved character, but every time I seem to make the decision to finally invest some of my reading time to the series, Kathy releases yet another title and puts the kibosh to any motivation I may have mustered. *Sigh*

The Classics Just last night in fact I make the decision to finally download various ‘Classic’ to my Kindle in the hope of encouraging myself to finally read what the literary world considers to be the finest works of fiction to grace paper. So, after much deliberation I decided to limit myself, for now, to three titles to avoid overloading the goat. For my three Classics I chose:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I downloaded each book for free from Amazon’s Kindle Store, and after creating a classics folder on my kindle are sorting my three titles which took less than a minute, I finally had no reason to keep delaying the discovery process. The language of each book is riddlish and quite daunting, but as my New Years Resolution for 2014, I’m determined this time to finish at least one of them…I just have to now decided on which year it will be.

The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren by Gerard Brittle I became interested in Ed and Lorraine Warren a couple of years ago through the Reality TV Show ‘Paranormal State’ where Lorraine herself helped solve genuine cases of hauntings and possessions throughout America. I am a huge horror fan, but to the delight of anyone who has watched movies with me, I scare easy, making it impossible for this book to reach more than 1% completion on my Kindle. I really want to be able to pick this one up before bed, and afterwards enjoy a good nights sleep nightmare free but I don’t think I would ever sleep soundly again if I did.

I Was A Murder Junkie – The Last Days of GG Allin by Evan Cohen I don’t actually own this one, but its been on my TBR List for so long now I’m probably never going to get the opportunity to read it. Not yet available in the Kindle Store, and my ever decreasing chances of tracking down a copy for a reasonable price online, this is probably the book I have wanted to read most. Ever. Having read so many reviews surrounding the controversial punk rocker’s last tour detailed within I Was A Murder Junkie, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe I’m better off not being subjected to the’ nudity, extreme violence and bizzarre sexual practices’ outlined within its pages!

So, after a series of individual blogs dedicated to book reviews, recommendations and creative writing as well as numerous other weird and wonderful topics, I’ve decided to combine ALL my interests into one complete blog and so The Secret Blogger was born! Each week I hope to contribute at least one bookish post where possible, as well as other random ramblings I have the urge to write about.

Typically you should expect to find me writing about:

ALL book related topics; recommendations, reviews, likes & dislikes

TV Series & Films I have enjoyed/hated

Interesting blogs/website I have found through endless hours of internet surfing

So, Thank You SO much for stopping by, and l can’t wait to start chatting with you all! Happy Blogging! ❤